I know you guys were super excited about the Devin Harris rumor, so I have another doozy for you. The Bulls have interest in rarely used New York Knicks guard Toure' Murry, according to ESPN New York's Ian Begley.

Murry, an undrafted 6'5 guard out of Wichita St, appeared in just 51 games in his rookie season for the Knicks, averaging 2.7 points and 1.0 assists in 7.3 minutes per game. He did shoot 41.7 percent from three, but of course, the sample size is miniscule.

Murry signed with the Knicks in September after playing last year in the D-League. The 24-year-old had modest numbers with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, although he did help lead them to the D-League title in 2013.

The Knicks could make Murry a restricted free agent if they extend a qualifying offer prior to June 29, but if they decline, he would become an unrestricted free agent.

Murry obviously isn't an exciting name, but he is regarded as a pesky defender and can play both guard positions. With the Bulls looking for depth at the guard position, Murry is a decent target at a cheap rate. If he's made available, it probably couldn't hurt to take a flyer on a young player at the minimum.

Some other offseason links...

Making the case for Melo

Mark Deeks wrote about Carmelo Anthony over at The Score, framing the discussion around both the Bulls and Rockets, potentially the two biggest suitors for Melo's services.

Houston really can't get under the cap to sign Anthony, so a trade would have to be executed. To match salaries, it's likely both Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin would have to be included, and acquiring those two would represent a large financial commitment. While the cap hits for Asik and Lin are both a shade under $8.37m, their combined salaries would be near $30 million because of the poison pill Arenas Rule contracts they received as restricted free agents two years ago. So Deeks believes the Rockets would have to include some serious sweeteners, which could include guys like Chandler Parsons and/or Terrence Jones.

When it comes to fit, Deeks sees the Bulls as the obvious choice. The Bulls need scoring, and Anthony does it at an elite level. Meanwhile, the Rockets could use more perimeter defense and a better bench, not necessarily another high usage offensive player. Although having three stars on the same team would be pretty swell.

Deeks does note some potential spacing problems with the Bulls' traditional two-big lineup coupled with the just okay outside shooting of Rose and Butler. Some of those issues could be alleviated if Rose continues to improve his shot and Butler bounces back after a dreadful shooting campaign, but it would be nice to have another shooter or two that could possibly be inserted into the lineup if spacing problems persist.

What could the Bulls' summer look like?

Friend of the site Nate Duncan went long on some potential Bulls scenarios over at Basketball Insiders. We've already touched on the ways to get Carmelo Anthony and the potential Kevin Love interest, but Duncan has a few other out of the box ideas to share.

Both those ideas involve going after point guards. The first is pursuing Kyle Lowry, who's coming off a career year in Toronto. The idea would be to pair Lowry and Derrick Rose together, which could be a poor fit on defense, but an issue that would hopefully be mitigated by the three defensive studs who would start with them in Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah.

And as I've mentioned several times, I'm not really that worried about defensive fits right now. I want another playmaker who can put the ball in the basket, and Lowry did that this year, putting up nearly 18 points per game while posting a true shooting percentage of 56.7 percent. Lowry also handed out 7.4 assists per game. Tom Thibodeau has shown that he's willing to use two point-guard units quite a bit, so I would imagine playing Rose and Lowry together wouldn't be a big problem for him.

In terms of getting Lowry, the Bulls can open up about $10-11M in cap space if they amnesty Carlos Boozer and renounce all free agents/exceptions, which would be a pretty fair offer for Lowry. There's a chance Lowry could ask for more, and in that case, the Bulls could do a little maneuvering to clear a bit more space.

Another option, and one that I hadn't thought of when it comes to trading Boozer, is the Bulls trading Boozer and another asset for basically nothing in order to open up a large trade exception. The Bulls could then try and acquire Lowry in a sign-and-trade transaction using that trade exception, possibly tossing in a sweetener for Toronto. In this scenario, the Bulls would stay over the cap and retain the mid-level exception and bi-annual exception.

The other point-guard suggestion is Isaiah Thomas, who's set to become a restricted free agent. Thomas, 25, could basically be viewed as a Nate Robinson type, but better. Both guys may be small, but they're explosive and dangerous with the ball in their hands. Thomas averaged 20 and 6 this past year, and he has posted a 57.4 true shooting percentage in all three of his NBA seasons. The 5'9 guard attempted nearly six free throws a game this year and is an excellent finisher at the rim for a player of his stature.

It's unclear just how Thomas fits in the Kings' plans. As Duncan notes, Sacramento has brought in players to win the starting job from Thomas, but it has never played out like that. With the Kings' payroll potentially creeping up near the luxury tax if Rudy Gay exercises his $19.3 player option, perhaps they wouldn't feel inclined to match lucrative offers for Thomas.

Duncan's ideal Thomas scenario involves the Bulls signing him for about $8 million a year while also bringing over Nikola Mirotic.

Pacers wary of re-signing Lance?

Duncan added an addendum to mention why he thinks Lance Stephenson is a terrible fit, and while I know most of y'all hate Lance Stephenson, I still maintain he would be a decent fallback plan.

Stephenson is just 23 years old and still improving, and if he can harness his talent, there's a pretty high ceiling there. He's not the best shooter in the world, but he's getting better and has proven capable of running the pick-and-roll rather effectively. There's also serious defensive potential there under Thibs.

Of course, there are some serious red flags. Many people reference the "stairs" incident (the case was dismissed), and there have been other problems as well, including just this year. ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Mike Wells outlined some of the issues in a somewhat damning report, talking about how Stephenson became more selfish after missing the All-Star Game. Pacers teammates reportedly became annoyed with Stephenson, and there was that much publicized story about him and Evan Turner fighting before the playoffs.

Because of some of these problems this season, there are reportedly a good number of people in the Pacers' organization who don't think it's a good idea to re-sign Stephenson to a lucrative long-term deal. Indiana also has some luxury tax concerns if they re-sign Stephenson, although some other moves could help that situation.

If the Pacers did decide to move on from Stephenson, it would be interesting to see if the Bulls went after him. I'm not really sure what his value on the open market is, but it wouldn't surprise me if he got offers close to $10 million annually, despite his flaws. Stephenson certainly doesn't fit the bill as a "Bulls guy" with his character issues, and I'm guessing Chicago wouldn't go out of their way to give him a big contract.

Sacramento's first new GM in almost 20 years oversaw a year of immense roster turnover and transformation.

Draft:

June 27th, 2013: Drafted Ben McLemore with the 7th pick

June 27th, 2013: Drafted Ray McCallum with the 36th pick

Free Agents:

July 15th, 2013: Signed Carl Landry to a 4 year, $26 million deal

September 13th, 2013: Signed Hamady N'Diaye to a 1 year, minimum deal with no guarantees.

September 25th, 2013: Signed DeMarcus Cousins to a 4 year, maximum contract extension beginning in 2014-15.

February 26th, 2014: Signed Orlando Johnson to the first of two 10 day deals.

March 6th, 2014: Signed Royce White to the first of two 10 day deals.

March 28th, 2014: Signed Willie Reed to a deal for the rest of the season.

March 31st, 2014: Signed Jared Cunningham to a deal for the rest of the season.

Waived Players:

January 6th, 2014: Waived Hamady N'Diaye

February 22nd, 2014: Waived Roger Mason, Jr.

February 27th, 2014: Waived Jimmer Fredette

Trade:

July 10th, 2013: As part of a 3 team trade, signed and traded Tyreke Evans to New Orleans for Greivis Vasquez.  New Orleans traded Robin Lopez and Terrel Harris to Portland. Portland traded Jeff Withey to New Orleans and cash, 2016 2nd round pick and the right to swap 2018 2nd round picks to Sacramento.

July 12th, 2013: Traded a 2016 2nd round pick and the right to swap 2nd round picks in 2019 to Milwaukee for Luc Mbah a Moute.

November 26th, 2013: Traded Luc Mbah a Moute to Minnesota for Derrick Williams

December 9th, 2013: Traded Chuck Hayes, John Salmons, Greivis Vasquez and Patrick Patterson to Toronto for Rudy Gay, Aaron Gray and Quincy Acy.

February 19th, 2014: Traded Marcus Thornton to Brooklyn for Reggie Evans and Jason Terry

February 20th, 2014: Traded a super protected 2015 2nd round draft pick to Miami for Roger Mason, Jr. and cash.

Analysis:

Pete D'Alessandro's arrival in Sacramento was just a little bit different than when most teams hire a new GM.  For starters, the Kings hadn't had a new GM since 1994 as Geoff Petrie had been the longest tenured basketball operations executive in the NBA.  Most of us didn't know any different, and here came a guy in D'Alessandro who won the job despite never having the big job himself.

D'Alessandro inherited a roster with a few bad contracts, a malcontent star player, and not much time to make big decisions on both the draft and re-signing a guy like Tyreke Evans.  This was a team that clearly needed a makeover and a fresh start, and D'Alessandro definitely did that this season, achieving perhaps the single greatest amount of roster turnover in one season that Kings fans have ever seen.  By the end of the season, only four players from last season's team remained, and one of those (Isaiah Thomas) will soon be entering Free Agency.

D'Alessandro was hired as Sacramento's GM just 12 days before the draft, and as such didn't get nearly the same amount of prep time as he will have this year.  Despite that, the top prospect on Sacramento's board, Ben McLemore, fell all the way to their lap at #7 and they were also able to add an athletic PG in Ray McCallum at 36.  McLemore of course, had a really rocky season, one in which he was thrown into the fire thanks to the Kings lack of depth at SG , but the players the Kings passed up on aren't exactly world beaters themselves.  Michael Carter-Williams was taken 10th and won Rookie of the Year on a team where he was allowed to dominate the ball and play at the fastest pace in the NBA.  Trey Burke went 9th, but while the Jazz were better with him than without, his shooting numbers were almost as bad as McLemore's.  Giannis Antetokounmpo had some bright moments but he was a complete unknown coming into the draft, and it was not a given that his game would translate.  It's still pretty early to tell whether the selection of McLemore was a good or bad one, but given McLemore's potential and the lackluster performance of this entire rookie class, it still seems like a good pick.

McCallum at 36 proved to be a steal as he showed with his good performance down the stretch of the season in the place of an injured Isaiah Thomas.  The only rookies of note taken after him were Nate Wolters, Jeff Withey and Ryan Kelly.  I guess you could also include D-League Phenom Pierre Jackson, but he has yet to play in the NBA.

The next big decision D'Alessandro had to make was regarding the future of Tyreke Evans.  Along with DeMarcus Cousins, Evans had been a part of the fabric of this franchise for the previous four seasons, and most fans wanted him back.  Sure, he hadn't lived up to the hype of his rookie season, but he was still young and very talented.  That's why it came as a bit of a shock when D'Alessandro opted not to match New Orleans' offer of 4 years, $44 million for Evans.  Kings fans were used to Petrie not only re-signing most of their Free Agents, but overpaying without letting the open market dictate a player's value.  Pete had a value in mind when it came to Tyreke Evans, and New Orleans offer was greater than that, so he let him go, but importantly, he didn't let him go for nothing.  D'Alessandro was able to work a sign-and-trade in which the Kings got back Greivis Vasquez and a couple 2nd round picks, assets that the team would use later in the year.  Vasquez was initially brought in to be Sacramento's new starting PG, a player with a pass-first mindset that would hopefully curtail some of the selfishness of the last few seasons.

D'Alessandro's decision not to match Evans' contract seems to have been a good one in retrospect.  Evans did have a phenomenal end to his first season in New Orleans, averaging 20 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists while shooting 50% from the field over his last 22 games (in which he was a starter, unlike the previous 3/4 of the season), but most of the season was a relative disappointment for Tyreke.  Would the Kings have been better this season with Tyreke? Probably, but by not keeping him they were able to remain more flexible asset and cap wise.

The first of what would be a few big trades this season for Sacramento came when the Kings turned a couple of the 2nd rounders they got from the New Orleans trade into Luc Mbah a Moute, a defensive minded player who could guard multiple positions.  Unfortunately for the Kings, some injuries lessened Mbah a Moute's impact and preparation time, and by the time he was able to play meaningful minutes, he was off to Minnesota in a trade for Derrick Williams.  This was a trade about acquiring talent, while Minnesota hoped to use Mbah a Moute as more of a role player.  The Kings were still a team in need of talent, and Mbah a Moute's abilities, while valuable, didn't tend to stand out as much on a team as far away from the playoffs as the Kings were.  Williams himself has yet to translate that talent into consistent production, but the risk on the trade was minimal, and there still may yet be a reward.  As of now this trade is about even for both teams.

After letting Evans walk in Free Agency, the Kings had a bit of cap space to work with and reportedly made offers to guys like Andre Iguodala and Jose Calderon.  The offer to Iguodala was surprisingly pulled (it's still a mystery what really happened there) and he eventually signed in Golden State, and Calderon decided to join the Mavericks instead.  The one signing the Kings would make was giving Carl Landry a 4 year, $26 million deal in what is probably D'Alessandro's worst move to date.  The Kings already had a couple PFs under long term contractsin Jason Thompson and Chuck Hayes, and they also had Patrick Patterson at the time who was coming off a very good year.  Signing an aging, offensive-minded PF didn't seem to make a whole lot of sense at the time, and the decision was made worse when Landry ended up missing most of the year with multiple injuries.

DeMarcus Cousins Season in Review

The Kings big man had an amazing season, aside from the whole winning just 28 games thing.

With Tyreke Evans gone and a new regime in place, the Kings were intent on making DeMarcus Cousins the face of the franchise and work began immediately on getting him a max contract extension.  In a June 20th poll I conducted on this site, 60% of Kings fans said that they would not give Cousins that extension and instead wait until he became a restricted Free Agent to allow the market to dictate his value, similar to what the Kings did with Evans.  Interestingly enough, by the time the Kings actually did sign Cousins to a 4 year, max contract extension in September, 88% of Kings fans polled agreed with it.  Of course, as Tom mentioned in his analysis of the deal, waiting to extend a player like Cousins (particularly being a big man) probably wasn't going to result in any meaningful discount anyway.  Cousins responded with his best year to date, a year in which he vaulted from a promising player to a real force in the league.  Sacramento's faith was rewarded, and Cousins has had nothing but good things to say about current management.

But extending Cousins was relatively easy compared to the trade that D'Alessandro pulled off in mid-December when he sent Greivis Vasquez, Patrick Patterson, Chuck Hayes and John Salmons to Toronto for Rudy Gay, Aaron Gray and Quincy Acy.  It was a trade that seemingly came out of nowhere, and a big gamble that Gay would return to form as he was playing some of the worst basketball of his career.  Fortunately, not only did Gay end up returning to form, he surpassed it, averaging career-highs in Points, FG% and Assists in his time in Sacramento.  He played so well in fact that declining his $19.3 million player option for next season actually became a real possibility.  One of D'Alessandro's next tasks will be to convince Gay to stay, but even if Gay leaves, this was still a great trade from Sacramento's perspective as they lost minimal assets in Vasquez and Patterson and were able to dump Hayes' and Salmons' contracts as well.  Should Gay leave this summer, the Kings will actually come out as having saved money from the deal and will have some cap space to work with this summer and some serious cap space next summer.  They also acquired a young player with potential in Quincy Acy in the deal, who they can afford to develop at minimal cost.

D'Alessandro wasn't done reshaping the team however, and reports indicate he was very active all the way leading up to the trade deadline.  Deals involving Jason Thompson and Jimmer Fredette never materialized, and Fredette was eventually bought out before heading to Chicago (where he played just 56 minutes, so much for the increased opportunity).  Marcus Thornton was moved for Jason Terry and Reggie Evans, essentially cutting Thornton's contract into two smaller pieces.  It remains to be seen if Terry will ever join the team or if he will simply be bought out or traded, but Evans ended up as the end of season starting PF, bringing energy, toughness and a veteran presence to a young team.

Waiving Fredette had the secondary consequence of allowing Ray McCallum to finally get some meaningful playing time, and an unfortunate injury by Isaiah Thomas allowed that time to grow from about half the game to basically the entire game.

D'Alessandro also tried to do some experimenting with various prospects on 10-day contracts as well as making use of the D-League.  Ray McCallum was sent on multiple stints to the D-League, and training camp cuts like Trent Lockett and Daquan Jones played most of the season for the Bighorns.  The Kings gave trial runs to players like Orlando Johnson, Royce White and Jared Cunningham, searching for a possible impact player.  None of those guys really panned out, but the fact that the Kings were trying was a good thing.

Now entering his first full offseason as Kings GM, D'Alessandro has more tough decisions to make.  The roster has been heavily reworked but still needs a lot of polishing, especially if Rudy Gay leaves.  There is the decision to make on Isaiah Thomas, an upcoming lottery pick that may or may not be moved, and disgruntled players on longer deals like Jason Thompson.  This will be yet another year of transformation for the Sacramento Kings, but if there's one thing we can take away from Pete D'Alessandro's first year as GM, it is that he will be aggressive and bold.

Tomorrow:Michael Malone

The Suns continued their predraft workouts on Wednesday. The two big names in town were Baylor's Isaiah Austin and former North Carolina wing P.J. Hairston.

The Suns held their third 2014 NBA Draft workout Thursday morning.   The six players in town were Baylor's Isaiah Austin, North Carolina's (plus D-League) P.J. Hairston, Virginia's Joe Harris, Iowa State's DeAndre Kane, UCLA's David Wear and Florida's Scottie Wilbekin.

The two big names in the group were Austin and Hairston, who are projected to be in the mix as potential first round picks.

Isaiah Austin

Position: Center

Draft Express Mock Draft: 2^nd round pick 35 to the Jazz

Draft Express Top 100 Rankings: 35

Suns general manager Ryan McDonough on Austin:

"It's hard to find seven footers.  I think if you look around the NBA there's a reason those guys generally get paid if they're pretty good cause they're valuable and hard to find, especially 7'0 guys with skill.  Isaiah at 7'1 has got a really nice stroke at that size.  He's got good ball skills on the perimeter, that was one of the things that stood out today.  It's just how he handles the ball and can make some plays off the dribble that most 7'1 guys can't make.   I think he'll need to keep adding weight and getting stronger to be able to play in the post and handle the physicality of the NBA game.  He has a lot of natural ability and things you can't teach.

P.J. Hairston

Position: Wing

Draft Express Mock Draft: 1^st round 24^thKings

Draft Express Top 100 Rankings: 24

Suns GM Ryan McDonough on the advantage of going the D-League route compared to college:

"The advantages are it's all basketball.  I'm not trying to bag on college, but their pros.  They play all day, they practice all day, they're playing against men.  It's different, I think the number one thing I've heard from rookies over the course of my career is the NBA game is so much bigger, faster and stronger then anything they've experienced even playing at the high major college level.  I think the D-League is probably the best simulation for the size, strength, speed and physicality of the NBA game."

Joe Harris

Position: Wing

Draft Express Mock Draft: 2^nd round 60^th pick Spurs

Draft Express Top 100 Rankings: 69

Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek on evaluating a player that measured poorly in Chicago (athletically and physically):

"I think the testing gives everybody a good baseline.  I'm sure I wouldn't have tested well, would have John Stockton tested well?  You're looking at guys and can they play the game.  If you got equal guys, maybe you look at that guy who is a little bit longer and that might be a benefit.  For us as coaches we're looking at can the guy play.  If he's got some limitations one way or another does he know how to adjust and make up for that?  If a guy's athletic does he use it?  A guy can jump out of the gym, but if he doesn't use it at the right times it's useless.  You're taking those measurements and you're looking at them and seeing if they're applying them.

DeAndre Kane

Position: Combo guard

Draft Express Mock Draft: Undrafted

Draft Express Top 100 Rankings: 86

Suns GM Ryan McDonough on how a player unusually old impacts the evaluation process:

"I think generally those guys probably have a little lower trajectory in terms of their ceiling, I guess they're probably closer to their ceiling is the best way to put it.  They're not 19 or 20 years old, he's probably the same age as half our team.  You have to factor that in, but at the same time you don't dismiss guys because of that."

David Wear

Position: Forward

Draft Express Mock Draft: Undrafted

Draft Express Top 100 Rankings: Unranked

Scottie Wilbekin

Position: Point guard

Draft Express Mock Draft: Underrated

Draft Express Top 100 Rankings: Unranked

The Sacramento King's #1 fan was inducted into the Hall of Fame today and her acceptance speech was PERFECTION.

The former CEO of Microsoft has finalized his agreement to buy the Los Angeles Clippers for $2 billion, pending league approval.

Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has finalized his agreement to purchase the Los Angeles Clippers for $2 billion, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.

The sale must now be approved by NBA owners. Donald Sterling's presence is a wild card: the current Clippers owner is refusing to sell, according to his lawyers, but it's unclear whether that matters.

Ballmer's agreement will go straight to the NBA for final approval, source tells ESPN.

— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) May 30, 2014

In other words, the signed binding agreement btwn the Sterling family trust & Ballmer for $2b does not need another sign-off from Donald.

— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) May 30, 2014

Ballmer stepped up to the plate to offer a whopping $2 billion offer. Several other potential ownership groups, including one headed by David Geffen and one led by a pair of L.A. investors, dropped out of the running on Thursday, according to ESPN. Ballmer's offer was reportedly the highest bid for the team and stands as the most paid for an NBA team to-date, beating out the $550 million purchase price for the Milwaukee Bucks earlier this year.

Assuming Donald Sterling does not change his mind, the situation now turns to the remaining 29 owners to sign off on the deal. The league has to approve all sales, but Ballmer was previously vetted when he put in a bid to purchase the Sacramento Kings in 2013.

The Lakers have a huge workout day lined up Wednesday.

June 4 is the next big day for the Los Angeles Lakers with a key group lined up for workouts. The team is scheduled to hold pre-draft workouts with Marcus Smart, Noah Vonleh, Doug McDermott, and Nik Stauskas, according to ESPN's Jeff Goodman. Aaron Gordon and Zach LaVine are also listed as "possible" players working out with the Lakers next Wednesday.

Stauskas, LaVine and McDermott would be a reach with the seventh-overall pick, but the Lakers' front office doing their due diligence on prospects across the board doesn't hurt. Smart and Vonleh are the two big names here, with both players potentially being available for the Lakers. Gordon is also in the mix at seven, which means the Lakers could be looking at the majority of the four or five players projected in their range if he does participate.

It's worth noting the Lakers haven't lined up workouts with Dante Exum, who seems like a lock in the top-6, or Julius Randle yet. Vonleh has workouts with the Sacramento Kings, Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic scheduled over the next few weeks, per Goodman.

Also, mandatory STAUSKAS:

Reviewing a coach is particularly tough, especially a first year coach.  You can't point to any one statistic and say "See, this is where the coach really helped" or "If we had a better coach, this would be better".  Still, there are things we can look at to determine just how much of an impact the coach had, and I will try to do that here.

Michael Malone is Sacramento's 7th coach in 8 seasons since Rick Adelman left.  New owner Vivek Ranadivé wanted him so badly he essentially tapped him as head coach before he had even finalized a sale agreement, and he hired him before hiring Pete D'Alessandro as General Manager, an uncommon move.  It's not as if the move was unheralded however, as Malone was one of the more coveted head coaching candidates last summer and likely would have gotten a job somewhere regardless given the massive Coaching turnover we saw last season.  Malone had a reputation as a defensive guru, and rumor had it he was a lot more involved in the X's and O's of the Warriors than Mark Jackson (to the point that Jackson wouldn't discuss Malone in interviews this year).

Malone's first year as a coach was seemingly about changing the culture, and we heard multiple times throughout the year that this season was not about wins and losses.  Despite that, Malone seemed to take each loss very hard, especially early on in the year.

Malone spent a lot of his time as a coach visibly teaching his team.  He was one of the more animated coaches I've seen on a sideline, and during breaks, free throws, etc. he'd constantly be in the ear of either a player or the bench.  He earned a reputation for a quick trigger on calling timeouts, even ending up joking about it throughout the year, but it was hard to argue with why he called the timeouts.  Oftentimes it was because of a defensive lapse or, more often, a series of defensive lapses.

Sacramento's ridiculous amount of roster turnover didn't allow for much stability.  About half of the players that were in training camp with the Kings were gone by December, starting a whole new learning process.  It also seemed clear that Malone wanted to bring the younger guys along slowly, but terrible effort and performances by guys like Marcus Thornton for example forced his hand and made him put the young McLemore into the starting lineup much earlier than he would prefer.

Did Kings Improve?

The Kings may have finished with the same record as last year, but they made some improvements that didn't show in the win-loss column.

Record wise, the Kings didn't improve at all from from 2012-13, finishing with the exact same 28-54 record.  However the record doesn't indicate the myriad of improvements the Kings did make, particularly in margin of victory (equivalent to that of a typical 33-49 team), defense (108.8 defensive rating was lowest for Kings since last playoff run, but still not great), and defensive rebounding (from one of the worst to one of the best).  Perhaps most importantly he oversaw the best year of DeMarcus Cousins' career.  Much of that credit has to be given to Cousins himself of course, but Malone made it clear early on that this was Cousins' team, and he put him in a position to succeed.

Kings players really seem to like playing for Malone as well.  Unlike previous years when players had seemingly given up on the coach midway through the season, we didn't hear a peep of unrest this season.  Instead all we heard was praise.

Here's Cousins on Malone via Cowbell Kingdom:

"I think the future is bright," Cousins said following Sunday's game.  "I'm with Malone until the end - he knows that.  He has my back, I've got his.  You're going to be seeing him for a while until he gets rid of me because it won't be my choice."

And Isaiah Thomas:

"Coach Malone has been 100 percent real with me since day one. And we talk almost every day. He’s texting me. We talk about the games, who’s playing. About the draft, what I think about this player. He’s a great guy, man. The best coach I’ve had since I’ve been here and he’s a player’s coach."

But it's perhaps Michael Malone himself that offers the best review of the season and expectations going forward:

"We made a lot of progress in areas, we've played well at certain times of the year and I just want to try and get better," Malone said.  "And 28 wins will never be something we're proud about."

The Kings announced their first of what will likely be many pre-draft workouts over the next few weeks, and we're already seeing some big names mentioned.  The Kings will hold two separate workouts on Monday.

Workout #1:

Eric Moreland (Oregon State) 6-10, 218 forward-center

Elfrid Payton (Louisiana-Lafayette) 6-3, 190 guard

Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State) 6-4, 220 guard

Noah Vonleh (Indiana) 6-10, 240 forward-center

Workout #2:

John Bohannon (UTEP) 6-10, 210 center

Tyler Ennis (Syracuse) 6-2, 180 guard

Stephen Holt (St. Mary's (CA)) 6-4, 195 guard

Brendan Lane (Pepperdine) 6-10, 235 forward-center

***

The biggest names involved are of course Noah Vonleh, Marcus Smart and Tyler Ennis, with Elfrid Payton after that.  Vonleh, Smart and Ennis all could be in play at the #8 spot, and Payton has enough game that I could see him being a dark horse selection there, or more likely, an option should the Kings move down.  Of the rest of the prospects, only Moreland is projected to be drafted.

Orlando is one of several teams to have lined up a workout with the Indiana product, a report indicates.

The Orlando Magic have scheduled a pre-Draft workout with Noah Vonleh for June 9th, reports ESPN scribe Jeff Goodman, citing "sources." Vonleh will also work out for the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers, Goodman says.

In his freshman season, Vonleh averaged 11.3 points, nine rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game for Indiana while shooting 53 percent from the field and 48.5 percent from three-pont range while attempting 1.1 treys per game. He tallied 10 double-doubles in 30 appearances for the Hoosiers. The Haverhill, Massachussetts native is regarded as one of the best big-man prospects in the 2014 NBA Draft.

Orlando owns the fourth and 12th selections in the Draft, which event is scheduled for June 26th.

Mike Bibby will be back in town in June to host a youth basketball camp and several other current players will be doing the same over the next couple of months. Here is a breakdown of all of the camps.

A Kings legend and other current Kings players will be holding several basketball camps in Sacramento this summer.

Mike Bibby is hosting his youth camp from June 17 to 20 in Natomas. The camp, which is for ages six to 16, will include tips from the former King on form shooting and repetition, ball-handling skills, defense, passing and conditioning and more.

Bibby has been out of the league since 2012 when he last suited up for the New York Knicks. Most recently, Bibby has been serving as an assistant coach for his son Michael Bibby's Shadow Mountain High School team in Phoenix.

Bibby spent just over six seasons with the Kings in the golden years. His best season statistically came in 2004-05 when he averaged 19.6 points, 6.8 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. (He did average 21 points per game the following season, but most of his other stats dropped.) And of course, he hit quite possibly the biggest shot in Kings history.

Bibby's Youth Skills Camp is $150 for the first 100 kids and $175 for all after. To register, click here.

The DeMarcus Cousins Nike Elite Skills Camp will take place from June 18 to 20 at Sacramento High School and is for ages seven to 16.

Those who attend will receive instruction from the region's "top coaches as well as DeMarcus Cousins himself." Cousins will "be co-directing and coaching hands on for the entirety of the camp while building relationships with every single camper."

The fee for Cousins' camp is $159 and you can register here.

Jason Thompson will hold his JT Elite Basketball Camp twice in the coming summer months. The camp is open for kids in first grade all the way through grade 12 and will be held in Rocklin.

The first camp will be held from June 30 to July 3 ($200, or $180 if enrolled by June 15.) The second camp will be from Aug. 4 to 8 ($250, or $225 is enrolled by July 20).

At the camp, kids will learn how to "define and develop specific techniques to perform at an elite basketball level. They will endure strength and condition training, agility, delivering under pressure, nutrition and camaraderie."

For more information and to register, click here.

Isaiah Thomas is hosting a youth camp in Rocklin from July 28 to July 31. His Youth Skills Clinic is open to ages six to 16 and will cover similar skills that Bibby's camp will go over. Those who attend are said to receive 12 hours of training with Thomas.

"I love doing it just because I was in their position at one point and to get somebody you look up to show you how to do things is a blessing and I feel like I'm obligated to do that," Thomas recently told Grant Napear on KHTK 1140.

Thomas' camp is $175 for the first 100 who register and $225 for all of those after. For more information and to register, click here.

The Nets don't have much wiggle room this offseason. They are strapped for cap space, don't have any picks in the upcoming draft and have given up their D-League affiliation. Also, they hope to develop a sense of continuity after adding 16 new players the last two training camps.

The team's 32-man free agent mini-camp, which starts Monday morning and has already changed, is one way around the loss of flexibility. Think of it as part of an integrated, if limited, player development strategy, with prospective second round picks, former NBA players, D-Leaguers and some European imports vying for jobs.  to fill out first the summer league roster, then training camp and finally the bottom of the regular season roster. No matter their background, undervalued prospects are what a lot of the summer is going to be about, mining overseas, the D-League, or the draft's second round ... if they acquire a pick.

Scanning the camp roster and listening to draft prospect interviews, two underlying themes emerge: The big news is the team is looking small.  It seems the front office has put a priority on using the draft and free agency to acquire swingmen and even point guards, not bigs, in the off-season.  Also, the Nets are now a top destination for players and their agents. Players want to try out for the team, agents want to place their players here.

We base that on a number of factors. From what we can tell, the Nets focused on talking with swingmen and even a couple of point guards at the pre-Draft combine, players like Shabazz Napier, Spencer Dinwiddie and Thanasis Antetokounmpo.  Moreover, only six of the 32 men working out for the team at camp can be considered true big men, either at power forward or center. There are quite a few tall players who can stretch the floor, though, like Donte Greene, the most NBA-experienced vet in camp.

One center to keep an eye on over the next week or so is Cameron Moore. Moore was an animal at UAB a few years back, averaging 16 points while grabbing 10 rebounds in 2011-2012. Moore has spent two seasons in Europe, most recently playing with JuveCaserta last year. Moore came off the bench for the Italian club, but still managed to average 14 points per game on 58% shooting. His rebounding numbers stood at around seven, a little bit less than his numbers at UAB, but he posted a PER of 24.79 in nearly 25 minutes per game. Moore is long at about 6'10" in shoes, with a 7'1.5" wingspan and a standing reach of 9'.5". Moore had a high motor at UAB and is an exceptional shot blocker. However, his frame makes him a liability when defending post ups and also when trying to score against stronger opposing players. Moore did workout with the Nets before going undrafted in the 2012 draft.

Michael Snaer was invited to training camp with the Nets last season but opted to play in Italy for Enel Brindisi. Snaer had a shaky first season in Italy, coming off the bench for Brindisi and averaging seven points on 44% shooting. Snaer was a hero at Florida State, where he hit big shot after big shot against prominent competition in the ACC. However, Snaer went undrafted last summer. Snaer has an awkward release on jump shots and doesn't have much size either. If the Nets do fall for him again and invite him to training camp, he could develop into a 3-and-D player. Snaer is a veteran who has spent time being the leader of a winning program, so he could fit into the Nets veteran core.

Yakhouba Diawara was a late add to the list. Diawara has a fair amount of NBA experience after starting 56 games for the Nuggets and Heat before he decided to return overseas in 2010. Bouncing around Italy and France, Diawara has averaged 14 points over the last four years. Diawara is a slasher with size at 6'7" 225 pounds. However, at 32 years old, he's likely at the end of his career.

Diowara was accompanied to East Rutherford by Edwin Jackson, a 6'3" shooting guard who is 24 and has a lot of international experience. Often described as "cocky," he's also hyper-athletic and can hit the three from deep. He has some, limited point guard skills and his shot selection can drive coaches crazy. The son of an American basketball player and a French woman, he was once seen as a young Tony Parker, but Parker is more than just a collection of skills. Jackson wants a summer league invitation with the Nets. He's said so.

Another interesting name is Kenny Boynton. Boynton, who just turned 23, was on an upward trend at Florida but went undrafted in last year's draft. He's a 6'2" playmaker with deceptively quick speed. He also has a 6'5.5" wingspan, which gives him the length to be a tough defender. Boynton doesn't get into the paint very often due to his size, so he needs to be able to hit his perimeter shots, which he struggled with during his senior year at Florida. He is a willing passer with a high motor. Boynton had a fair assist to turnover ratio during his senior year at Florida with a 2.13, proving he is a capable ball handler. Most recently, Boynton played in Israel where he improved his three point shooting, hitting 46.5 percent in the Balkan League, one of two leagues his team plays in.

Ivan Johnson has become a fan favorite on the NetsDaily boards despite not coming close to signing with the team. With Johnson looking to sign with a team in the NBA after spending time in China, some said the Nets should go after him. But, Johnson is essentially Reggie Evans with a worse record. Johnson is 6'8" with a high motor, but past that, he is nothing more. He's already 30 despite playing two seasons in the NBA and only received 16 minutes a game in that short stint. Johnson can't shoot outside of the paint and isn't as talented a rebounder as Evans was for Brooklyn. Nor can he defend well.

Donte Greene is the last name we'll look at. Greene was very close to signing a deal with the Nets two years ago before a fractured ankle stopped the transaction. Greene hasn't been in the league since the injury, but before that he played four seasons with the Sacramento Kings. He is a 6'11" small forward who can shoot the ball a bit as a spot-up shooter. Greene isn't a terrific defender and despite being able to put the rock in the hoop, he doesn't do it efficiently, he has a career true shooting percentage of 49%. If Greene were to have a spot on the team, Mirza Teletovic may have filled it already. Teletovic has similar size to Greene and is a more refined player, but maybe Greene can intrigue the front office like he did two years back before the injury.

This workout is not going to be all that telling for the Nets future, but it's not supposed to be. Maybe a few get invited to Orlando to play in the Summer League, maybe a few get invited to training camp with the team, or maybe nothing happens with the Nets and any of these players. It's all about trying to find some hidden gems in the basketball circuit ... and with 32 players in camp, one has to hope at least one shines bright enough.

At least two players invited had to drop out: Lance Thomas, the ex-Dukie and Hornet/Pelican, and Richard Howell, a 6'9" PF who played last year in the Philippines.

Orlando has invited the Oklahoma State product back to the City Beautiful for another pre-Draft workout.

Following a pre-Draft workout with the Sacramento Kings on Monday, Oklahoma State guard Marcus Smart said he plans to work out for the Orlando Magic a second time, reports Jonathan Santiago of Cowbell Kingdom, TrueHoop's Kings blog.

Smart reportedly worked out for the Magic on Memorial Day alongside a host of other 2014 NBA Draft prospects, including Duke swingman Rodney Hood and Arizona State shooting guard Nick Johnson.

In his sophomore season as a Cowboy, Smart averaged 18 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.9 steals per game on 42.2 percent shooting from the floor. Most analysts and fans expected him to declare for the 2013 NBA Draft, but Smart made the surprising choice to return to Stillwater for another year of seasoning.

Orlando owns the fourth and 12th overall picks in the 2014 NBA Draft, which event is scheduled for Thursday, June 26th. Taking Smart fourth overall might be a reach, and he doesn't figure to be available at the no. 12 slot. Still, it behooves Orlando to gather as much intel on potential Draft prospects as it can.

The Indiana freshman will workout for a who's who of the NBA's lower class in the next few weeks.

With the draft bearing down on us like *timely Game of Thrones reference* Noah Vonleh will workout for a number of teams. ESPN's Jeff Goodman has a pretty good rundown of Vonleh's timeline right here:

Noah Vonleh will work out for Sacramento on Monday, Lakers on Wednesday, Orlando on June 9 and Boston on June 12, source told ESPN.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) May 30, 2014

The Sacremento Kings (8th), Los Angeles Lakers (7th), Orlando Magic (4th and 12th), and Boston Celtics (6th) all hold high picks and could use the versatile big man on their respective teams. The Kings worked out Vonleh this morning with Marcus Smart (another player the Kings are targeting) and came away impressed with Vonleh's ability to move outside and hit jumpers and handle the ball. The Lakers have gaping holes in their front court, with many of their big men leaving after the season, so Vonleh could fill an immediate need for the Fighting Kobe Bryants. If the Magic were thinking about Vonleh, they'll have two opportunities in the lottery and the IU freshman would like nice next to former Hoosier Victor Oladipo. The Celtics are the last team that could be interested in Vonleh and he could fill the role of a stretch four for Boston.

Chad Ford notes that Vonleh has been rocketing up draft boards with impressive public workouts:

Noah Vonleh drawing serious praise from NBA execs after a workout in NY on Wed.

— Chad Ford (@chadfordinsider) May 30, 2014

Some NBA bigwigs even suggested that Vonleh should be in the top tier of prospects:

Said another "Vonleh's got elite physical tools and is very skilled. He should be in the same group with Wiggins, Embiid, Parker & Exum"

— Chad Ford (@chadfordinsider) May 30, 2014

Vonleh averaged 11.3 ppg, 9 rpg, and 1.4 bpg as a freshman at Indiana. He measured at 6'9.5 at the NBA combine and had a 7'4 wingspan. He could be a bit of a project, in regards to his outside shooting, but the potential is there and many teams could use a bouncy power forward who hits the glass with abandon.

Oklahoma State standout Marcus Smart was in Sacramento Monday for a pre-draft workout with the Kings. He was joined by Indiana's Noah Vonleh and Tyler Ennis of Syracuse. Oh, and Aaron Gordon…sort of.

Marcus Smart is physically ready for the NBA. He's 6'4'' with a 6'8'' wingspan and 220 pounds. He uses his size for crashing to the lane and his defensive prowess - two things he is well known for.

He also is known to have somewhat of a short temper and many point to the incident in February when as a member of the Oklahoma State Cowboys he pushed a Texas Tech fan. Smart has said the fan used a racial slur.

When asked about the incident during the Kings' pre-draft workouts Monday, the Oklahoma State standout said he has moved on.

"I've put it behind me. I don't know if everybody else has, but you can't really control what everybody else thinks, everybody else is entitled to their opinion," Smart told reporters. "It's behind me, so I'm moving on with my life ... my future is a lot greater than that incident that happened."

Kings Assistant General Manager, Mike Bratz led today's workout sessions that also featured Noah Vonleh of Indiana and Tyler Ennis of Syracuse. Bratz showered Smart with praises after the workout and took a similar "moving on" approach to a question about that particular incident.

"He's a top of the line kid, top-flight kid," Bratz said. "And that's one incident that, I mean, you put yourself in that situation how you might respond. I'm sure if he could take it back he would ... how many other people would have been able to hold back?"

Bratz said Smart was asked specifically about the incident during their interview process and said the guard was "very forthcoming."

Bratz has followed Smart for a while. In fact, he played in the same league that his son's high school is in. So he knows what Smart is capable of.

"There's a lot to like about Marcus Smart," said Bratz, who compared him to Nets legend "Super" John Williamson. "There's not a whole lot of guards that come out as a sophomore in college that have his build ... if this guy would have played football, he'd be a monster. I mean, with his athleticism and strength and speed ... you don't see many kids like him come out."

Smart averaged 18 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.9 steals as a sophomore with the Oklahoma State Cowboys. He was the second freshman in school history to average more than 15 points per game in 2012-13. Outside of scoring, one of the biggest things he brings to the table is defense. He was named to the Big 12 All-Defensive team and over his two seasons at Oklahoma State he tallied 189 steals.

The Kings could use his defense. They could do without his shooting. He shot 41 percent from the field over his two college seasons and only 29 percent from three. On a team that needs a lot more shooting, that could be a problem.

But he is working on it this summer and plans to show off his shot at all of his workouts.

"I'm a better shooter than what people think," said the well-spoken Smart, who will now travel to Los Angeles for a workout with the Lakers on Wednesday, and then head to Orlando and Boston.

Noah Vonleh out of Indiana is expected to be off the draft board somewhere in the top eight. Vonleh is a power forward who stands 6'10'' with a 7'4'' wingspan and weighs 240 pounds. He can rebound at a high level and shoot (he averaged 48 percent from three in his one season with Indiana).

"He's got a lot more than just standing on the block, I mean he's a really talented player … Physically, I mean, you can just tell this guy is going to be a stud," Bratz said. "He can take it outside, he's got a nice touch ... he's an impressive kid."

Noah, who thinks he can go in the top five in the draft, sees himself as a stretch four but said he plans to work on making his way out to the perimeter more.

He said he could compliment DeMarcus Cousins in the Kings' front court by taking some of the pressure off of the big man.

"I could take some help away from him in the paint and stretch the floor with my shooting and things like that, my versatility," Vonleh said.

At only 18 years of age, Vonleh will take some time to develop. He is very raw and has the poorest assist to turnover ratio in this draft class, not to mention less-than-stellar shot-blocking capabilities.

Vonleh, like Smart and Tyler Ennis, will head to Los Angeles for a workout with the Lakers on Wednesday.

The Kings used Monday's workout to scout some of the players who could be there when they select at the 8^th spot in the draft on June 26, but they also are looking at possibilities for players in the second round.

Other players who worked out with the Kings on Monday included Eric Moreland (Oregon State); Elfrid Payton (Louisiana-Lafayette); John Bohannon (UTEP);  Stephen Holt (St. Mary's (CA)); and Brendan Lane (Pepperdine).

Aaron Gordon of Arizona also met with the Kings today but without media access. The San Jose native didn't work out, but met with Kings owner Vivek Ranadive and shot a few baskets. There is a good chance Gordon will be available when the Kings pick.

The Kings are not expected to hold another workout until June 15, but that schedule could change, according to a Kings spokesperson.

For more draft coverage make sure you check out Bryant's Draft Scouting Reports.

We're checking in with our friend James Ham to talk about the offseason and predraft workouts.

The Sactown Royalty Show is back!  We took last week off due to unforeseen circumstances (I forgot to book a guest and suddenly realized the week was over), but we're back in full force!  This week's we're joined by our old friend, Cowbell Kingdom's James Ham.  James is a regular guest to the show, and you know he makes for a great show.

We covered a variety of topics in this show.  We talked about the NBA Finals, and what it could mean if the Spurs win.  We talked about the Kings' search for a new lead assistant, and why Ty Corbin might be the best man for the job.  We talked about draft prospects and recent workouts, including Marcus Smart, Noah Vonleh, and the secretive interview with Aaron Gordon.  And finally, we talked about the upcoming offseason, and what kind of moves the Kings could be looking to make.

Like the show? Subscribe to us on iTunes or on Stitcher! Leave us ratings, leave comments, let us know how we're doing. Ratings and comments on iTunes really help us out with promoting the show. And of course, continue the discussion in the comments below.

And a big thanks to Audible.com for supporting us. To get your free 30-day trial and a free audiobook, sign up here. Using that particular link gets you the special offer, and let's them know you heard about them through our show.

As always, thanks for listening.

Chandler Parsons will be a free agent this summer, but it will take a lot to pry him away from Houston.

Yesterday evening news broke that the Houston Rockets were declining to pick up Chandler Parsons' 2014-15 team option, making him a restricted free agent.  Had they used the option, they would have been able to have him on the cap books for a paltry amount next season but he would have been an unrestricted free agent that Houston would have been hard pressed to retain.

Naturally this news set social media abuzz, and Kings fans in particular as Rudy Gay's future with the team is in doubt.  Parsons checks all the features of a player that the Kings are seemingly after in that he can shoot, pass and defend.  Last season he averaged 16.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists while shooting 47.2% from the field and 37.0% from three.  As a free agent, Parsons will instantly be one of the more coveted players this offseason.

Now while it is prudent to remember that Houston can match any offer, and could possibly use Parsons as a sign-and-trade chip to try to land another star like Carmelo Anthony, things don't always go according to plan, and that's where a team like the Kings could come in.

As of now, the Kings probably don't have enough cap space to outbid other teams that could be in the hunt for Parsons' services.  Assuming Rudy Gay opts out, the Kings have about $11 million in projected cap space when you factor in the #8 pick and Isaiah Thomas' qualifying offer.  As our friend pookeyguru has noted in the past, that number is probably closer to $9 million when you consider that DeMarcus Cousins' maximum contract extension kicks in at a higher cap number than before.  A starting salary of $9 million is not going to cut it for Parsons.  In fact, the only way the Kings could possibly pry Parsons away from Houston is either a sign-and-trade (perhaps for the 8th pick if Houston is looking for another asset to dangle) or by offering him more money than they would be comfortable matching.

One wrinkle in the CBA that would help a team like the Kings is the fact that matching an offer for a Restricted Free Agent means that you can't trade that player for a year after without his consent, which could potentially spoil any plans the Rockets might have to use his salary to trade for another star.

So how much money would it take for Parsons to sign an offer sheet with Sacramento, forcing Houston's hand?  Probably upwards of $12-13 million a year, effectively meaning you'd be signing Parsons to a near max contract.  Consider that a couple years ago Minnesota signed Nicolas Batum to a 4 year, $46.1 million offer sheet that Portland then matched.  Is Parsons better than Batum?  He'd almost certainly be paid better.

Of course this is all speculation, and most Rockets experts that I've talked to seem to think this move by the Rockets to make Parsons a RFA solidifies his status as a Rocket for the long term.  The Kings would also need to make some salary cutting moves to open up the space to make such an offer, perhaps by buying out Jason Terry.  There are also many other teams that will likely be bidding for his services.  But it doesn't hurt to think ahead, especially when the Small Forward position will revert back to being a dark morass of despair should Rudy Gay leave.

The Kings are willing to take a major gamble on Love, while the Wolves aren't so sure about making a deal with Boston.

With the 2014 NBA Draft now just three weeks away, the Kevin Love rumors are really starting to heat up. The Sacramento Kingsare reportedly willing to trade for Love without the assurance of a long-term extension, and are prepared to give up anybody but DeMarcus Cousins, according to FOX Sports Ohio's Sam Amico and Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee.

Amico calls the Kings the "leaders" in the Love sweepstakes, while Jones says the Kings have talked to the Minnesota Timberwolves about a trade, although nothing is imminent.

The centerpieces of any deal between the Kings and Wolves would likely be the No. 8 pick in the draft and Ben McLemore, who was the No. 7 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. Rudy Gay and Isaiah Thomas are also options to move, but there are some complications with those two. Gay still needs to decide whether he wants to pick up his $19.3 million player option for next season, while Thomas is a restricted free agent.

If the deal centers around the eighth pick and McLemore, the rest of the transaction could involve future assets and players like Jason Thompson, Travis Outlaw, Derrick Williams or Jason Terry to make salaries work.

Wolves not enamored with Celtics' offer

When Love visited Boston last weekend, speculation ran wild that the star power forward was going to wind up with the Boston Celtics. But not so fast, says ESPN Boston's Jackie MacMullan.

While the Celtics do have several attractive assets to trade, including the No. 6 and No. 17 pick in the upcoming draft, MacMullan reports the Wolves aren't all that enamored with what Boston can offer. The Celtics are a bit lacking in terms of NBA talent to send to Minnesota, especially considering Rajon Rondo won't be involved in any deal. The whole point of acquiring Love would be to pair him with Rondo.

The Wolves have reportedly received better offers from other teams, including the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls can offer salary relief in the form of Carlos Boozer, who only has one year left on his deal, as well as players like Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler. Chicago has the 16th and 19th picks in the draft, and they also own the rights to Nikola Mirotic, arguably the best young player in Europe.

There are also a few other reasons why the Wolves might not be too hot about trading Love to Boston. One, Wolves owner Glen Taylor reportedly isn't keen on sending another star player to the Celtics after how the Kevin Garnett situation played out. Also, the relationship between Wolves president Flip Saunders and Celtics president Danny Ainge isn't nearly as cordial as the one between Ainge and former Wolves general manager Kevin McHale.

Trade unlikely until coach is hired

The Love rumors may be flying around, but it's likely no move will actually be made until the Wolves hire a new coach, according to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.

The new coach will try and sell Love on his vision for the team going forward, and perhaps the star big man will be convinced to give him a chance. But if Love doesn't budge and still wants out, then a deal could come together quickly.

Minnesota appeared to have Dave Joerger lined up to coach the team after a fiasco with the Memphis Grizzlies, but Grizzlies owner Robert Pera changed his mind and decided he wanted Joerger back. Other known candidates include Sam Mitchell, Lionel Hollins and Vinny Del Negro.

Chicago Bulls jump up to #8 in a deal with the Sacramento Kings.

Previous Picks: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7

The second major trade in the Grizzly Bear Blues Community Mock Draft sees the Chicago Bulls jump 11 spots into the top 10.

Trade summary

Kings receive:

• Taj Gibson
• Tony Snell
• #19 pick

Bulls receive:

• Derrick Williams
• Travis Outlaw
• #8 pick

Before the pick is announced for the Bulls, let's break down the trade for both sides. First, from the Sacramento Kings point of view: Why would the Kings make this trade? It's simple. They need a reliable, proven big to put next to DeMarcus 'Boogie' Cousins, and I'm not sure there is a better hand-in-glove fit than the 2013-2014 6th Man of the Year, Taj Gibson.

Gibson is a hard-nosed rebounding machine who has developed a rock solid jumper and good post skills. He paired with Cousins would give the Kings front-court security moving forward. Tony Snell is a 22-year-old 6'7" combo-wing who has a 7' wingspan. Snell has excellent defensive potential and could one day develop into a starting level 2 or 3. He can do all of the garbage work that current small forward Rudy Gay does not.

Now, for the Bulls perspective: The Bulls receive former #2 overall pick out of Arizona Derrick Williams. Williams has been, for the most part, a disappointment in the NBA to date; however, Tom Thibodeau is widely regarded as one of the top 3 coaches in the entire league, so maybe, just maybe, he can make that talent manifest itself in Chicago.

Travis Outlaw has been an excellent role player throughout his career in the NBA. He is a good shooter, as well as, a good defender of either forward position. He has a body type similar to Luol Deng and that's how I envision him being used for the Bulls in a similar role as Deng.

Now, with the 8th pick in the 2014 GBB Community Mock Draft, the Chicago Bulls select:

8) Julius Randle, PF, Kentucky

Randle is a perfect fit here at 8. The Bulls have decided to go in a different direction at the power forward spot, moving on form Carlos Boozer. The 6'9" 4-man form the National Championship runners-up Kentucky Wildcats is ready to make an impact from day one in the NBA. He features an NBA ready body, exceptional post moves, a soft touch around the basket, and a motor that constantly runs. Also, Julius Randle was an elite rebounder in college averaging 10.4.

With a starting lineup of Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler, Mike Dunleavy/Travis Outlaw, Julius Randle, and Joakim Noah, the Bulls would be poised to make a run at the Eastern Conference crown and contend for an NBA Campoinship.

Who might the Lakers be drafting on June 26? The latest mock draft updates from around the web.

The Los Angeles Lakers have 20 days to figure out what to do with the No. 7 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, but until then, the mock drafts will continue to stream in. Last time, Julius Randle sliding to the Lakers was a consistent theme, while Marcus Smart and Noah Vonleh were the other two names in the mix. Randle did not attend either of the group workouts the Lakers held on June 4, however.

Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix released version 2.0 of his mock draft and projected Randle to Los Angeles -- the same pick he made in his previous draft board. His mock also has the Orlando Magic drafting Marcus Smart over Dante Exum, and the Utah Jazz rolling the dice on Exum with the No. 5 pick. Another surprising twist? The Boston Celtics drafting Aaron Gordon with the sixth-overall pick and Noah Vonleh dropping to the Sacramento Kings at eight.

ESPN's Jeff Goodman released his latest mock draft on May 29 and selected Vonleh for the Lakers. He had this to say about the big man coming out of Indiana:

The Lakers have numerous needs and will go with the best player on the board. Vonleh has an NBA-ready body and is more skilled than many realize. He could be a player, in time, who develops into a star and that is exactly what the Lakers need.

His reasoning aligns well with what Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said during the Lakers big workout:

Q: On the challenges heading into this Draft and trying to determine the right player with no coach in place yet:

Kupchak: It's not that much of a factor. You could argue because we only have four players on the roster, we're not really limited to looking at one position. We need to look everywhere. We'd be in a position to take the best player at almost any position. Even the position we do have covered, he's been around 18 years, so we have to look beyond that position, too. That is a good thing. Sometimes you get put in a position where you need a point guard and say: ‘Let's focus on a point guard.' And you may overlook a player who may be a (better) player down the road.

The trio of analysts over at CBS Sports each projected a different prospect to the Lakers. Matt Moore is sticking with Randle at seven, the same pick he made in his previous mock. Zach Harper sent Vonleh to the Lakers, and Gary Parrish projected Smart.

Finally, Basketball Insiders updated their mock draft board recently. Two of their experts projected Smart while Vonleh and Randle each notched a single tally. For those wanting to keep track, here's the total from the latest batch of mocks:

Smart: 3

Vonleh: 3

Randle: 3

As expected, there's no clear-cut favorite for the Lakers right now, and the team has been tight-lipped in regards to who they have at the top of their draft board right now.

The Kings want Rudy Gay to stick around and exercise his player option after he cranked up his efficiency in Sacramento. Why this does, and doesn't make sense.

The Sacramento Kings acquired forward Rudy Gay from the Toronto Raptors in a surprising mid-season trade and are preparing to persuade him to exercise his $19.3 million player option to stay in Northern California through the 2014-15 season. The Kings are planning on sitting Gay down with Hall of Famers Chris Mullin and Mitch Ritchmond, as well as giving him a "digital" tour of the future Kings arena, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports.

Gay's productivity and efficiency improved dramatically through 55 games with Sacramento. He averaged 20.1 points on 48.1 percent shooting while also dishing out 3.1 assists per games. All of those averages would be good for career-highs in his eight-year career.

Sacramento finished the season with the third-worst record in the Western Conference, winning just 28 games. The Kings haven't had a winning record since the 2005-06 season and have missed the playoffs for eight straight seasons.

This makes total sense for the Kings

Sacramento doesn't have endless cap space to throw at players this summer, but should have a good chunk they can spend. If the front office and coaching staff believes Gay really did turn a corner in his time with the Kings, it makes sense they'd want to keep an established veteran on the team.

It's an expensive option, sure, but there may not be many top-tier free agent opportunities this summer anyway. One more year with Gay playing at the efficient level he displayed is a pretty good option, and it's not a long-term commitment.

$19.3 million for one year seems like an easier choice to make than trying to figure out a multi-year deal that works for both sides. If his numbers drop they can cut their losses next summer, but it'd give them a full season to observe how he fits with their franchise.

The Kings have growing talent in Ben McLemore, DeMarcus Cousins and Isaiah Thomas, another top-10 pick on the way, and could use a steady hand to help guide the team through a brutal Western Conference.

Wait, what are you doing, Sacramento?

Hold your horses. Luring Rudy Gay into accepting a huge extra year on his contract is insane. Sure, he looked like a much more efficient player while in Sacramento, but it could simply be a case of a player on a potential contract year bumping up his value.

It's hard to dismiss the other 90 percent of Gay's time in the NBA. Is there even going to be a large market for Gay if he does opt out? Front offices are tip-toeing around their salary cap more than ever, and the Kings could re-sign him on a smaller contract if that's the case.

How much persuading will it take to accept $19.3 million, anyway?